Overview
After Tennessee seceded from the Union in 1861, East Tennessee remained an important area for both sides. Many residents supported the Union, and President Abraham Lincoln considered the region strategically valuable. A major railroad connecting Richmond, Virginia, Chattanooga, Tennessee, and the Deep South passed through Knoxville. East Tennessee also produced food that could supply military forces.
In the summer of 1863, Major Ambrose Burnside led the Army of the Ohio into East Tennessee. His cavalry reached Knoxville on September 2 and entered the city on September 3. He then captured the Cumberland Gap on September 9 and worked to remove the remaining Confederate forces from the region.
Meanwhile, Confederate General Braxton Bragg defeated General William Rosecrans at the Battle of Chickamauga (September 19–20). Bragg drove the Union army back to Chattanooga and placed the city under siege.
Soon after, Bragg sent General James Longstreet north to deal with Burnside and recapture Knoxville. Longstreet left Chattanooga on November 4. Transportation problems delayed his movement, and he did not cross the Tennessee River until November 14.
On November 16, Longstreet’s forces fought Burnside at the Battle of Campbell’s Station. Burnside withdrew to the defenses around Knoxville, and Longstreet placed the city under siege on November 19.
Longstreet identified Fort Sanders, northwest of Knoxville, as the most vulnerable part of the Union defenses. On November 29, he ordered a surprise attack. The fort was protected by a ditch about 12 feet wide and between 4 and 10 feet deep. Confederate soldiers struggled to cross the ditch while Union troops fired on them from above. The attack failed after about 20 minutes.
The Confederates suffered more than 800 casualties, including 129 killed, 458 wounded, and 226 captured. Union forces lost about 20 men. After learning about Bragg’s defeat at Missionary Ridge and the approach of a Union relief force under William T. Sherman, Longstreet decided to withdraw. He remained near Knoxville until December 4. He then lifted the siege and marched northeast.
Essential Facts
- Date: November 29, 1863.
- Location: Knox County, Tennessee.
- Participants: The United States of America (USA) and the Confederate States of America (CSA).
- USA Commanders: Ambrose Burnside.
- CSA Commanders: James Longstreet.
- Who Won: The United States won the Battle of Fort Sanders.
- Campaign: Knoxville Campaign.
- Campaign: Knoxville Campaign.
- Era: Civil War, July–December, 1863.
Statistics
United States of America
- Casualties: About 20 killed, wounded, missing, or captured.
- Forces Engaged: Army of the Ohio.
- Troop Strength: Roughly 4,400.
Confederate States of America
- Casualties: About 800, including 129 killed, 458 wounded, and 226 captured.
- Forces Engaged: Confederate Forces in East Tennessee.
- Troop Strength: Roughly 4,000.
Significance
The Battle of Fort Sanders is important to American History because it became the decisive engagement of General James Longstreet’s Siege of Knoxville. Longstreet hoped to break through Union defenses by attacking Fort Sanders, which he considered the weakest point in the line. Instead, the fort’s wide, deep ditch trapped Confederate soldiers under heavy Union fire. Union troops repulsed the assault in about 20 minutes while suffering only about 20 casualties. Confederate forces lost more than 800 men. Longstreet remained near Knoxville for several more days before lifting the siege on December 4, 1863.
History
Tennessee Secedes from the Union
On June 8, 1861, Tennessee became the last Southern state to secede from the Union. The decision, however, was far from unanimous. In the eastern part of the state, voters defeated a referendum on secession by some 20,000 votes at the polls. Starting an independent secessionist movement, citizens of East Tennessee petitioned the state legislature to form a new state that would remain in the Union. The governor responded by sending military personnel to Knoxville to enforce the statewide vote for secession. Despite attempts to coerce the population, many residents in East Tennessee and Knoxville remained pro-Union throughout the American Civil War.
Tennessee’s Strategic Importance
President Abraham Lincoln considered the liberation of East Tennessee to be of paramount importance. Beyond the moral and political duty to support the loyal citizens of that part of the Union, East Tennessee was strategically valuable. The main railway connecting the Confederate capital at Richmond, Virginia to Chattanooga, Tennessee, and on to the Deep South ran through Knoxville. In addition, East Tennessee farmers produced large amounts of food supplies that could sustain whichever side controlled the area. Despite its strategic importance and being high on the president’s list of priorities, events in other theaters of the war delayed any major Union action in the area until the Army of the Ohio, commanded by Major General Ambrose Burnside, moved to occupy East Tennessee in the summer of 1863.
Federals Occupy Knoxville
By the time Burnside neared Knoxville, events occurring in the Chickamauga Campaign had forced most of the Confederate defenders to move to southern Tennessee, leaving only a token force behind. Burnside’s cavalry reached Knoxville on September 2, almost unopposed. On September 3, the citizenry warmly greeted Burnside’s army when it marched into Knoxville. With Knoxville occupied, Burnside next captured the Cumberland Gap on September 9, and he turned his attention to clearing the area of any remaining Confederates.
Burnside Advances Toward Chattanooga
Shortly after Burnside secured East Tennessee, Confederate General Braxton Bragg and his Army of Tennessee soundly defeated Major General William Rosecrans and his Army of the Cumberland at the Battle of Chickamauga (September 19–20). Bragg drove Rosecrans’s army out of northern Georgia, back to Chattanooga, Tennessee, and then besieged the city for two months. As the Union situation at Chattanooga worsened, Washington officials ordered Burnside to leave Knoxville and march south to help lift the siege. Burnside moved toward Chattanooga, but skirmishes with Confederate cavalry slowed his advance from Virginia
Bragg Rids Himself of Longstreet
Meanwhile, in southern Tennessee, Bragg recognized that Burnside’s army posed a threat to his investment of Chattanooga. During the siege, relations between Bragg and fellow Confederate General James Longstreet deteriorated because of Longstreet’s criticism of Bragg’s failure to pursue the defeated Federals more aggressively at Chickamauga. Wanting to rid himself of Longstreet, Bragg received approval from Confederate President Jefferson Davis to detach Longstreet from Bragg’s command and to send Longstreet north to deal with Burnside. Bragg planned on Longstreet being able to drive Burnside away, re-capture Knoxville, and return south before Ulysses S. Grant, who had replaced Rosecrans, could attempt a breakout from Chattanooga.
Longstreet Advances and Burnside Withdraws
On November 4, 1863, Longstreet departed from the Chattanooga area on the East Tennessee & Georgia Railroad with a force of about 10,000 infantrymen, supported by about 5,000 cavalry troopers. On November 16, his army engaged Burnside’s army at the Battle of Campbell’s Station and forced the Federals to fall back to their fortifications at Knoxville.
Longstreet Besieges Knoxville
With the Federals safely entrenched in Knoxville, Longstreet besieged the city on November 19. However, Longstreet knew that Bragg could recall him to Chattanooga if Grant threatened Bragg’s investment there. Thus, Longstreet also searched for a weakness in Burnside’s fortifications that he might exploit.
Longstreet Attacks Fort Sanders
Longstreet decided that Fort Sanders, northwest of Knoxville, was the most vulnerable position in Burnside’s defenses. On November 29, Longstreet ordered a surprise attack on the fort, which was protected by a twelve-foot-wide ditch with vertical sides ranging from four to ten feet deep. Crossing the ditch under enemy fire proved impossible, and the Federals easily repulsed the assault in only twenty minutes.
Aftermath
The battle resulted in a Union victory. Confederate losses were heavy. Of roughly 4,000 men engaged in the attack, over 800 were casualties (129 killed, 458 wounded, and 226 captured). The Union lost only around 20 men.
Before Longstreet could plan another assault, he received news of Bragg’s defeat at Missionary Ridge (November 25, 1863) and of the Confederate retreat into Georgia. Bragg ordered Longstreet to abandon his siege at Knoxville and rejoin the Army of Tennessee in Georgia.
Grant, however, had sent a relief force toward Knoxville, commanded by William T. Sherman. Upon learning of Sherman’s departure, Bragg changed his mind and ordered Longstreet to stay at Knoxville as long as possible to prevent Sherman from returning to Georgia. Longstreet held out until December 4, when he lifted the siege of Knoxville and marched his army northeast.
Timeline
- 1861, June 8 — Tennessee became the last Southern state to secede from the Union, although many residents of East Tennessee opposed secession.
- 1863, September 2 — Ambrose Burnside’s cavalry reached Knoxville with little opposition.
- 1863, September 3 — Burnside marched his army into Knoxville, which was welcomed by the inhabitants.
- 1863, September 9 — Burnside captured the Cumberland Gap.
- 1863, September 19–20 — Braxton Bragg defeated William Rosecrans at the Battle of Chickamauga.
- 1863, November 4 — James Longstreet left the Chattanooga area and moved toward East Tennessee.
- 1863, November 14 — Longstreet crossed the Tennessee River.
- 1863, November 16 — Union forces won the Battle of Campbell’s Station.
- 1863, November 19 — Longstreet placed Knoxville under siege.
- 1863, November 25 — Bragg lost the Battle of Missionary Ridge and retreated toward Georgia.
- 1863, November 29 — Longstreet attacked Fort Sanders, but Union troops repulsed the assault in about 20 minutes.
- 1863, December 4 — Longstreet lifted the siege of Knoxville and marched northeast.
AP US History
Definition
Battle of Fort Sanders (1863) — The Battle of Fort Sanders was fought near Knoxville, Tennessee, on November 29, 1863, during the Knoxville Campaign. General James Longstreet besieged Knoxville after forcing General Ambrose Burnside back from Campbell’s Station. Longstreet identified Fort Sanders as a weak point and ordered an assault. Confederate troops became trapped in the fort’s deep ditch, allowing Union defenders to stop the attack in about 20 minutes. The battle ended in a Union victory.
Alignment
The Battle of Fort Sanders is part of the following AP US History sections:
